Carson-Newman Men’s Basketball Position Previews: The Backcourt
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first part in a two-part series chronicling Carson-Newman’s men’s basketball’s positions for 2019-20. Sophomore guard Luke Brenegan helps analyze the Eagles’ backcourt for the upcoming season.
VIDEO: Luke Brenegan Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first part in a two-part series chronicling Carson-Newman's men's basketball's positions for 2019-20. Sophomore guard Luke Brenegan helps analyze the Eagles' backcourt for the upcoming season.
Carson-Newman will be meshing five returners (Brengan, Reece Anderson, Nick Rogers, Zailan Peeler and Caleb Bridgewater) with six newcomers (Tripp Davis, Jaylan McGill, Kamil Chapman, Trey Smith, Jarius Satterfield and Kaleb Wallce).
"Everyone is excited about it," Brenegan said. "I think we've worked hard to build chemistry and everyone is ready to pitch in and play. We've played a ton amongst ourselves this year with scrimmages in practice. That has helped us build that chemistry and to get better every day."
Anderson is the lone four-year player on the roster for 2019-20. Anderson blossomed in his junior campaign to average 7.6 points, 2.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game. He appeared in 27 games for C-N and started 14. Anderson made 56 percent of his shots.
He turned in seven double-digit scoring efforts, including the first 20 point game of his career at Mars Hill (12/19). He had 23 against the Lions, including a 13-of-19 effort at the free throw line. Anderson handed out at least five assists on three occasions, including a season-best six in a win over Fort Valley State (12/8). He also reset a career high for field goals, knocking down seven in a win over Lees-McRae (11/14).
"Reece has upped his game," Brenegan said. "He's become a much better decision maker and playing with much more poise. He talks through what CB wants as well to help everyone get better."
Brenegan played in 11 games in an injury-shortened freshman campaign. When healthy, he averaged 4.4 points on 44 percent shooting from the field and 42.3 percent shooting from three-point range. He tallied two double-digit scoring efforts, first in a losing effort against Wingate (12/1) and later in a win against Newberry (1/9). He had 11 and 14, respectively.
Brenegan tallied a career-best 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range against the Wolves. He also dropped off six assists in that game. He sat out the final 13 games of the year with an ankle injury.
"I've been working on all aspects of my game," Brenegan said. "The one area where I've worked specifically has been my leadership so I can be an extra coach on the court. I've got to be vocal and talking so we can integrate the new guys quickly."
Rogers averaged 6.2 points per game and established himself as one of the Eagles' best three-point shooters last year. He finished the year shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from three. He knocked down 36-of-90 triples. His top effort came in a loss to No. 9 Queens (1/12) when he buried 4-of-6 threes and scored a career-high 16 points. He had eight double-digit scoring efforts on the year and six games where he knocked down at least three triples.
Peeler and Bridgewater both redshirted last year. Peeler will be a sophomore after suiting up his freshman year for rival Tusculum.
As a freshman he appeared in 25 games for the Pioneers, earning eight starts. He averaged 6.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Peeler's top effort for the Pioneers came against Catawba when he poured in 23 points going 6-for-10 from deep. He was also effective in a game against Carson-Newman, logging his first career double-digit scoring effort against the Eagles with 18 points. He was 5-for-7 from deep that night.
Among the newcomers, Davis, McGill and Chapman all transfer in from D1 schools. Davis will have one year of eligibility after graduating from Tennessee State. McGill and Chapman both have two years left after spending the first half of their college careers at UNC Charlotte and Longwood, respectively.
Davis turned in a stellar junior season with Tennessee State, starting 22 games and appearing in all 30 contests the Tigers played in 2018-19. He was TSU's fifth-leading scorer, chipping in 7.8 points per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from long range. Davis averaged 3.0 boards per game. He produced 10 double-digit scoring games and a trio of 20-point efforts in his junior year. Davis turned in a career-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 6-of-8 from long range against Fisk. He followed that up with a 20-point game against Cal State-Northridge. He wrapped up his junior year with his final 20-point game against UT-Martin.
"He's a really quick guard and a great on-the-ball defender," Brenegan said. "He should up the game for us. We want to play faster and he plays into that. He's super quick."
In two years at UNC Charlotte, McGill appeared in 56 games with 23 starts. He comes to Mossy Creek with 205 career points to his name. In his sophomore year, he tied his career-high with 13 points (connected on three three-point field goals) against Southern Miss. That came in a stretch when he recorded back-to-back double-figure scoring games for the first time in his career with his output against the Golden Eagles 12 points against Florida Atlantic. He matched his career high with 13 points including going 3-for-4 from beyond the three-point line in a career-high 31 minutes against TCU.
Chapman makes his way to Mossy Creek after two years with the Longwood Lancers. He appeared in 48 career games for Longwood with seven starts. He scored 171 points in his two years in Virginia. His freshman year he averaged 4.9 points per game. Of his 41 made field goals, 26 came from three-point range in his freshman year. Chapman scored in double figures five times; his top game came against then-No. 3 Arizona State where he scored a career-high 16 points and hit 5-of-7 three-pointers in front of a near-sellout crowd on the Sun Devils' home court. He also scored 14 points against Saint Francis on Nov. 18 and 13 twice, against Cornell and Grand Canyon.
Smith, Wallace and Satterfield make their way to Mossy Creek after decorated high school careers.
Smith finished his Landrum High School career with 2.868 points, 566 assists, 491 rebounds, 351 steals and 385 career made threes. He led the Palmetto State as a junior and senior in both scoring and threes made. He averaged 28 points per game as a junior and 32.1 as a senior. He sniped in 91 made threes and 115 his last two years with the Cardinals. In his career, he produced 24 career 30 point games and 10 career 40 point games. He helped the Cardinals to back-to-back region titles. Smith has a laundry list of awards to his name. He was the 2A South Carolina State Player of the Year as a senior. He was a three-time Region 1AA Player of the Year, three-time All State selection and three-time Smoky Mountain Classic All-Tournament Team. He earned all-region honors every year of his high school career.
Wallace helped Westlake High School to a region title in his senior year. He earned his teams MVP honors and was the Lions' Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 13 points, six boards and 3.5 assists as a senior.
Satterfield averaged 14.4 points, 3.6 boards and a team-best 4.3 assists for coach Matt Wallace in his senior year at Clarksville Academy. Satterfield was named his team's offensive MVP and a first team all-conference selection. The Cougars led their conference in scoring defense his senior year en route to an appearance at the state tournament.
Carson-Newman's position previews wrap up Thursday with the forwards.
